News and Events for Attorneys and Executives

Hogan Lovells announced it will add high-profile M&A partners Richard Climan, Keith Flaum and Jane Ross, and IP and technology transactions partner John Brockland to its global corporate team. Climan and Flaum will join the global leadership teams within Hogan Lovells’ corporate practice.

Climan, Flaum, Ross and Brockland have worked together for nearly 20 years, the firm said in a news release. They have worked in the technology and life sciences sectors with companies such as Adobe, Ant Financial, Applied Materials, eBay, Facebook, Gilead Sciences, Intel, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Oracle, Qorvo and Synopsys.

The team advises major technology, life sciences and other companies on complex and significant transactions, including advising on multi-billion dollar acquisitions of publicly traded companies on a regular basis. While Climan, Flaum, and Ross lead the team’s M&A work, Brockland focuses on the development, transfer, and licensing of technology and intellectual property assets.

The release continues:

Recent work carried out by the team includes Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp for US$16bn; the successful defense of Illumina against Roche’s US$6.2bn hostile takeover attempt; more than 25 acquisitions for Adobe, eBay, Intel, Oracle, and Synopsys; and the US$2bn sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers to a buyout group led by Guggenheim Partners.

“We have a strategic focus on advising clients on transactions with a regulatory or industry specific component,” said Hogan Lovells CEO Steve Immelt. “We are excited to have this team of lawyers join us in Northern California, as they have represented market leading technology and life sciences companies on many of their most significant transactions. Their well-earned reputation, relationships, and market profile will expand our presence in one of the most active markets for corporate transactions and illustrates a focus on strengthening our M&A capabilities in key markets in the U.S. and globally.”

Climan, Flaum, Ross, and Brockland will join Hogan Lovells from Weil, Gotshal & Manges and will be based in the firm’s Menlo Park and San Francisco offices.

“This team’s reputation is world class, and with Hogan Lovells, they will join a strong global M&A team with a track record of success, as part of a sustained drive to enhance our corporate M&A capabilities in key markets throughout the world,” said David Gibbons, Global Head of the firm’s Corporate Practice Group. “As more and more companies across a wide range of market sectors put disruptive technology at the heart of their business strategy and operations, this group’s deep understanding of M&A and the technology and life sciences sectors will prove invaluable.”

In addition to the team’s client work, which ranks them among the premier M&A/Corporate practices in California, the group has a long history of involvement in the local legal community. Their M&A forums in Silicon Valley are well known, as are their presentations, lectures, and trainings at top law schools around the country.

About the lawyers:

Richard Climan: One of the most well-known M&A lawyers in the country, Climan has extensive experience advising on mergers, divestitures, leveraged buy-outs, and cross-border transactions, in addition to corporate governance and general corporate matters. He was listed as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by The National Law Journal, was named one of the 10 most highly regarded Corporate Governance lawyers worldwide and one of the seven most highly regarded M&A lawyers in North America in 2016 by Who’s Who Legal, and is ranked in Band 1 for Northern California Corporate/M&A in Chambers USA. Climan earned his A.B. from Harvard College and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Keith Flaum: In addition to Flaum’s work representing public and private companies on wide range of transactional matters, including acquisitions of publicly traded companies and cross-border acquisition transactions and joint ventures, he also advises boards and special committees on fiduciary duties in the M&A context. In 2016, he was recognized as a “Trailblazer” in M&A by The National Law Journal and a “Life Science Star” by the LMG Life Sciences Guide. He is ranked Band 1 for Northern California Corporate/M&A in Chambers USA. Flaum earned his B.A. from UCLA and his J.D. from UC Davis School of Law.

Jane Ross: Ross represents buyers and sellers of public and private companies, particularly in the information technology and life sciences sectors. She has extensive experience handling cross-border transactions and complex cross-border joint ventures. In 2015, Ross was named “Best in M&A” by Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards. Ross is ranked Band 3 for California Corporate/M&A in Chambers USA. From McGill University, she earned her B. Com, an LL.B., and a B.C.L.

John Brockland: Brockland focuses on strategic and commercial transactions involving the development, transfer, and licensing of technology and intellectual property assets. He has represented companies in a variety of industries, such as software, semiconductor, internet, renewable energy, and healthcare. Brockland has been ranked as a leading lawyer for IT & Outsourcing by Chambers USA and Chambers Global. He is ranked Band 1 in California — IT & Outsourcing: Transactions. He earned his B.A. from Trinity University and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.